Above, The ceremony was broadcasted live on BBC Radio and footage was made inside the Abbey for the first time. The crucial moment, the Anointing, was kept, however, out of the sight of the cameras, something that would be repeated in 1953. After the ceremony, the newly crowned King and Queen drove in state through the capital of the Kingdom and the Empire to greet some two million subjects, who would cheer them at the balcony. Nevertheless, most of the country still felt the institution had been harshly damaged by the abdication crisis.

Above, the Queen Mother on the wedding of her eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth on 20th November, 1947.

Above, The Royal Family on the Wedding of Princess Magaret and Anthony Armstrong-Jones on 6th May 1960 .

Above, The Queen Mother is pictured with a corgi outside the Castle of Mey, in the extreme north-east of Scotland, a ruined castle which she took her time for restoring and refurbishing. Perhaps a reminder of her time at Glamis, the Castle of Mey became Her Majesty’s new Scottish home, being a wonderful property where the Queen Mother could enjoy calm life, as she had always wished. Queen Elizabeth used to spend time there in August and October each year.

Above, The Queen Mother was said to be an experienced fisherwoman. On being taken to hospital for the removal of a fishbone from her throat in 1982 she said: “After all these years of fishing, the fish are having their revenge.” Her Majesty’s favourite sport was known to be horseracing, and she would never miss Royal Ascot and other sporting events like the Grand National, which her horse famously lost in 1956.

Above, The Queen Mother is pictured with Prince Charles and Princess Anne soon after the Queen’s accession in 1952. The time Charles and Anne spent with their grandmother while the Queen was travelling developed a very strong relationship between them, especially with Prince Charles. The picture was made in the Royal Lodge, the Queen Mother’s home in Windsor, where she would die, aged 101, in March 2002.

Above, Throughout the grey days of the war years, there was only one family to unite the whole Kingdom – the King and the Queen refused to leave Britain, despite fears that an invasion by Hitler could mean their end. The Queen firmly and famously said, answering to the suggestions that she should leave to Canada with her daughters: “The princesses would never leave without me, and I couldn&#39;t leave without the King, and the King will never leave.”

Above, When the war ended, it was with the Royal Family that the people wanted to celebrate. Hundreds of thousands flocked into The Mall and to Buckingham Palace to see their King and the new war-hero, Sir Winston Churchill. Victory came as the final touch to the admiration the British people devoted to their royal family and never again they were so close to the people as in this historic occasion. The Royal Family had to return to the balcony 8 times during the afternoon.

Above, 50 years later, now as Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth came out to the balcony of Buckingham Palace in the culmination of the celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of VE Day. She was accompanied in that historical remembrance day by her daughters, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon. As in 1945, hundreds of thousands filled The Mall and the streets around Buckingham Palace and cheered the three royal ladies on the balcony. The Queen Mother took a very intense part in the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of World War II and she always kept a very direct relation with those who had been involved in both wars.

Above, The impressive funeral cortege of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother goes down The Mall, having Buckingham Palace as backdrop. The long cortege included over 1600 service men from various regiments linked with the Queen Mother, as well as regiments from the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force and the Army. Various regiments from the Commonwealth marched alongside 4 bands and the colourful Scots Guards and the Household Cavalry dismounted. Above Her Majesty’s coffin rested the Queen Consort’s Crown, created for her in 1937, as well as a wreath of white flowers from Her Majesty The Queen with a card reading “In loving memory, Lilibet”.

Above, Up to 400.000 people lined the streets of London, from The Mall until Westminster Hall, to witness the impressive funeral cortege, the biggest military procession since the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. The Queen Mother’s coffin was taken in the same gun carriage used to take His Majesty King George VI’s coffin from Sandringham House to the Train station near the Royal Estate, on the way to London. It was pulled by six black horses of The King&#39;s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, a mark of difference from a state funeral, in which the gun carriage would be pulled by sailors.

Above, Three generations of the British Royal Family walked behind the Queen Mother’s coffin: in the picture, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, HRH The Prince of Wales, HRH the Prince William of Wales and HRH The Duke of Kent are to be seen. Above left, the coffin goes past Horse Guards Parade. The long procession passed through various streets which were lined with over 1600 service men from the various branches of the Armed Forces.

Above, After 30 minutes of magnificent pageantry and ceremonial, the cortege arrived at the Palace of Westminster, where a crowd of over 10.000 people is to be seen on the left of the picture waited throughout the morning. The Queen, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York and Lady Sarah Chatto waited the members of the Royal Family that walked behind the gun carriage: the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Earl of Wessex, Prince William of Wales, Prince Henry of Wales, Viscount Linley, Mr. Peter Philips, Mr. Daniel Chatto, the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince Michael of Kent and Commodore Timothy Laurence. Others walking behind the coffin included members of the Bowes-Lyon Family as well as members of the Queen Mother’s Staff.

Above, The most royal and most unforgettable scenes of the week that followed the death of the Queen Mother took place under the magnificent vaulted ceiling of Westminster Hall, in the Palace of Westminster, siege of the British Parliament. Members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons welcomed the coffin as it arrived following the magnificent ceremonial procession. Four at each time, service men took their places in the vigil over the coffin, creating a scene of magical royalty and tradition. In the picture on the left, Her Majesty&#39;s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms stands vigil. In the centre, the officers Royal Company of Archers (the Queen’s Bodyguard in Scotland) stand vigil and on the right, a beautiful picture of an officer of the Blues and Royals as he bows his head during the vigil.

Above, During four days and four nights, over 200.000 people filed past the Queen Mother’s coffin as it Lay-in-State. The scene inside the Great Hall was uniquely royal, uniquely magnificent. On the left, officiers of the Household Cavalry and the Blues and Royals stand vigil as thousands file past (the rate was between 2500 and 3000 people per hour). In the middle, The Queen&#39;s Body Guard of the Yeomen of the Guard come down the stairs of the West Door of the Great Hall where they would replace the officers and stand vigil for 20 minutes, as in the picture on the right.

Above, Impressive picture of the vaulted ceiling of Westminster Hall with the queues filing past and the Gentlemen-at-Arms about to change the vigil. The queues impressed everyone, especially because the days right after the Queen Mother’s death hadn’t seen much public adhesion to the mourning. But during days and nights of the Lying-in-State, thousands queued for hours alongside the River Thames. On Sunday, the 7th April, around 70.000 people were queuing at one point, some waiting for up to 10 hours, the queue starting in the South bank of the river in front of the Dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral, thus more than 4 miles away from the Hall.

Above, The most moving moments of the week came on the evening of the 8th April, as the four grandsons stood vigil over their grandmother’s coffin, as thousands continued to file past. On the left, HRH the Duke of York, Viscount Linley, HRH the Prince of Wales and HRH the Earl of Wessex come down the stairs of the North Door of the Great Hall, silently and slowly. At 5.40 pm they replaced the Royal Company of Archers (centre) and kept the solemn vigil for some dramatic minutes. From a discreet point on the side, other members of the Royal Family watched: TRH the Princes William and Henry of Wales, HRH the Countess of Wessex, HRH the Princess Royal and Commodore Timothy Laurence watched the vigil.

Above, The Prince of Wales, whose eulogy to the Queen Mother and sad face during the funeral cortege had caught the attention, keeps the vigil over the coffin of his beloved grandmother. The coffin was covered with the Queen Mother’s personal standard and the magnificent Queen Consort’s Crown over it. As various people recalled, as the thousands moved one step forward there was always one diamond to get light and shine. The historic Koh-i-Noor diamond, set in the centre of a Maltese Cross, continuously got attention from the crowds.

Above, The small but very impressive funeral cortege left the Palace of Westminster shortly before 11.30 am on Tuesday, the 9th April 2002, the day of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s Funeral. As hundreds of thousands lined the streets, the gun carriage bearing the coffin of the Queen Mother was conducted to the Abbey to the amazing sound of hundreds of pipes and drums, marking her very Scottish links. The most senior members of the Royal Family followed on foot, led by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.

Above, Three pictures of the arrival of the coffin at Westminster Abbey: on the left, a magnificent view of the Abbey with the gun carriage stopped in front of it. In the centre, the procession moves towards the Quire and, on the left, it arrives in the transept of the Abbey. While the coffin is being placed in the catafalque, four officers deliver four cushions bearing the Queen Mother’s Insignia, including the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

Above, The service combined music, readings, prayers and a sermon recalling some of the special qualities of The Queen Mother. In his sermon, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. George Carey, spoke movingly of The Queen Mother&#39;s warmth and vitality. "Like the sun, she bathed us in her warm glow. Now that the sun has set and the cool of the evening has come, some of the warmth we absorbed is flowing back towards her... If there is one verse of scripture which captures her best, it is perhaps the description of a gracious woman in the final chapter of the book of Proverbs. Strength, dignity and laughter - three great gifts which we honour and celebrate today."

Above, The service ended with the sounding of the Last Post and Reveille, the proclamation of the formal styles and titles of The Queen Mother by the Garter King of Arms, and the singing of the national anthem, before the coffin was taken down the nave in a slow procession. Outside the Abbey, the pipers and drummers played a lament as the coffin was placed in the hearse, before beginning its final journey to Windsor.

Above, As the funeral cortege made its way down The Mall, the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight made two fly-pasts over Buckingham Palace. The two Spitfires and a Lancaster bomber paid tribute to the key role played by The Queen Mother with King George VI in boosting national morale during the Second World War. Members of the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace turned out to watch the hearse as it made its way to Windsor for the private service of committal and burial. Several members of foreign royal families attended the funeral, alongside a congregation of 2000 guests from Britain and the Commonwealth.

“I know what my darling grandmother meant to so many other people. She literally enriched their lives, and she was the original life enhancer, whether publicly or privately, whoever she was with. And in many ways, I think she&#39;s become an institution in her own right, a presence in the nation and in other realms and territories beyond these shores. At once indomitable, somehow timeless, able to span the generations. Wise, loving, with an utterly irresistible mischievousness of spirit. A mostly strong character, combined with a unique, natural grace and an infectious optimism about life itself.
“Above all, though, she understood the British character, and her heart belonged to this ancient old land and its equally indomitable and humorous inhabitants whom she served with panache, style and unswerving dignity for very nearly 80 years.

“I know too what she meant to the whole of my family, particularly to the Queen, for whom she was always such a stalwart and sensitive support ever since my grandfather died when he was only two-and-a-half years older than I am now.

“And for me, she meant everything, and I had dreaded, dreaded this moment along with, I know, countless others. Somehow, I never thought it would come. She seemed gloriously unstoppable and ever since I was a child, I adored her. Her houses were always filled with an atmosphere of fun, laughter and affection, and I learned so much from her of immense value in my life. Apart from anything else, she wrote such sparklingly wonderful letters, and her turn of phrase could be utterly memorable.

“But, above all, she saw the funny side of life, and we laughed &#39;til we cried, and oh how I shall miss those laughs. And the wonderful wisdom borne of so much experience and of an innate sensitivity to life. She was, quite simply, the most magical grandmother you could possibly have, and I was utterly devoted to her. Her departure has left an irreplaceable chasm in countless lives that, thank God, we&#39;re all richer for the sheer joy of her presence and everything she stood for.”

“Ever since my beloved mother died over a week ago I have been deeply moved by the outpouring of affection which has accompanied her death. My family and I always knew what she meant for the people of this country and the special place she occupied in the hearts of so many here, in the Commonwealth and in other parts of the world. But the extent of the tribute that huge numbers of you have paid my mother in the last few days has been overwhelming. I have drawn great comfort from so many individual acts of kindness and respect.
“Over the years I have met many people who have had to cope with family loss, sometimes in the most tragic of circumstances. So I count myself fortunate that my mother was blessed with a long and happy life. She had an infectious zest for living, and this remained with her until the very end. I know too that her faith was always a great strength to her.

“At the ceremony tomorrow I hope that sadness will blend with a wider sense of thanksgiving, not just for her life but for the times in which she lived - a century for this country and the Commonwealth not without its trials and sorrows, but also one of extraordinary progress, full of examples of courage and service as well as fun and laughter. This is what my mother would have understood, because it was the warmth and affection of people everywhere which inspired her resolve, dedication and enthusiasm for life.

“I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst. I thank you also from my heart for the love you gave her during her life and the honour you now give her in death.

By Simon Freeman, Times OnlineGordon Brown today announced plans for a £2 million public memorial to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother outside Buckingham Palace. The monument in The Mall will be financed by the proceeds of a commemorative coin to be struck to mark the Queen’s 80th birthday next year.

Details of the proposal - announced, fittingly, as the Queen Mother Champion Chase got underway at Cheltenham - have yet to be finalised. One proposal is, however, to add the Queen Mother's likeness and a new fountain to an existing statue of her husband George VI, which overlooks Horse Guards Parade.

The Chancellor told the Commons: “Mr Deputy Speaker, it is right to honour the life and service of the Queen Mother with a permanent memorial to her. “After approval from Her Majesty the Queen, I can announce that the Treasury will allocate the proceeds from a new coin celebrating the Queen’s 80th birthday to a memorial to the Queen Mother to be situated on The Mall.”

It is understood that Mr Brown, in his role as Master of the Mint, discussed the memorial with the Queen yesterday afternoon when he outlined his Budget during a confidential royal audience at Buckingham Palace. Talks had also been held with the Prince of Wales at Clarence House, his London residence.

The Queen Mother, who died on March 30, 2002, aged 101, was arguably Britain’s best-loved Royal. Mr Brown’s announcement is a measure likely to receive widespread support, particularly among the elderly.

Whoever is put in charge of the project will be keen to avoid the pitfalls which beset the last major public project to commemorate a member of the royal family. Mr Brown himself was the chairman of the committee which oversaw the £3.6 million Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, which has been beset by safety, drainage and design problems and is presently closed.

Andrew Pierce, editor of The Times's People column, said: “This will undoubtedly be a very popular measure but I think if the coin sales are better than expected there will be a clamour for a stand-alone monument.

“The Prince of Wales and the Queen will be the key figures in making the decision. Gordon Brown is well aware of the potential pitfalls and I am certain there will be a concerted effort to ensure there is no repeat of the debacle which surrounded Diana’s fountain.”

__________________Everything I write here is my opinion and I mean no offence by it.

If they added a statue of her to the one of the King, it wouldn't be able to be a "Queen Mum" sort of statue, which is how most people remember her (or it'd look as though the King was there with his mother). I think a stand-alone statue of the Queen Mum in the middle of a flower garden might be closer to how most people remember her. She was Queen for 15 years or so, but Queen Mum for a great deal longer.